Women in peace and transition processes: Liberia (2003-2011)

at 177 out of 188 in the 2016 Human Development Index. 1 Although advances have been made to address gender inequalities, Liberia's overall record on women's rights is mixed.According to the Gender Inequality Index, Liberia is one of the most unequal countries worldwide, ranking at 150 out of 159. 2 Similarly, the 2017 Global Gender Gap Report from the World Economic Forum ranks Liberia at 107 out of 144 countries.Unpacking this score shows relatively high ranking for women's political empowerment and economic participation, pulled down by poor scores on educational attainment, health, and survival. 3Liberia continues to have one of the highest incidents of sexual violence against women in the world. 4beria was founded in 1847, for freed and repatriated African-American slaves.This small minority group of Americo-Liberians (currently less than 2 percent of the population) ruled the country exclusively for over a century.The population is made up of numerous ethnic groups, including the Kpelle (20.3 percent), Bassa (13.4 percent), Grebo (10.0 percent), Gio (8.0 percent), and Mano (7.9 percent).According to the most recent census ( 2008), around 86 percent of Liberians are Christian, and 12 percent are Muslim. 5 In 1980, an indigenous Liberian, Samuel Doe, led a coup d'tat that ended Americo-Liberian rule.Nine years later, armed conflict broke out, and continued until 1997, when Charles Taylor, a leader of one of the armed groups, was elected president.Within two years, however, a second civil war had begun, which lasted until 2003.The figures are disputed, but by most counts around 60,000-80,000 people are estimated to have been killed during the two wars, one million people displaced, and over 40,000 women raped. 6